The Other 25% – The Big Move and Active Transportation Investment

September 12, 2013

On May 27, 2013, Metrolinx released its recommendations for an Investment Strategy to cover the annual $2 billion costs of implementing The Big Move’s Next Wave projects, of which 75% is committed to regional transit expansion and 25% is for other local transportation projects, including walking and cycling infrastructure.

On September 12, 2013 TCAT released “The Other 25%” report that presents research supporting the case for investment in active transportation through the regional transportation plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA): The Big Move. The report discusses the current status of regional active transportation planning in the GTHA and highlights best practices in other jurisdictions.

The report offers several recommendations to address the current gaps in planning and investment for regional active transportation. In summary, these are:

Create a regional coordinating and advisory committee to support active transportation infrastructure implementation;

Develop a regional active transportation plan that includes a cost-benefit analysis of active transportation infrastructure to inform investment decisions; and

Establish a communications and outreach strategy and identify regional active transportation champions to raise the profile of active transportation and garner public support throughout the region for active transportation investment.